Families whose children are eligible for free school meals will once again be provided with supermarket vouchers for the upcoming school holidays.
Those who were entitled to Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Christmas scheme will automatically receive a £20 voucher for the February half term.
Previous voucher recipients are being contacted by email asking them if they would like a £20 voucher per child, and once confirmed, a further email will be sent containing the voucher code/s.
New applications from families who haven’t claimed the vouchers before can be made online here.
Families who received the vouchers at Christmas should not reapply as it could cause a delay in them receiving their vouchers.
The electronic vouchers can be spent in a range of supermarkets and are available to the families of pupils entitled to benefit-related free school meals, as well as parents who receive free childcare for two-year-olds, where benefits are such that they would have been entitled to free school meals.
The free school meals scheme is part of a wide range of community support for vulnerable families including FOOD clubs, food banks, welfare and financial support.
Councillor Kevin Guy, cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “We are doing our utmost to ensure that no child in Bath and North East Somerset goes hungry, so I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to extend the voucher scheme to cover the February school holidays for families whose children are eligible for free school meals.
“If you received the vouchers at Christmas, you do not need to do anything – you will get an email from us to arrange to get your electronic vouchers to you.
“Please don’t apply again as that could mean your vouchers are delayed. However, if you think you’re eligible and haven’t previously applied, please do so via our website as soon as possible.”
The scheme is being funded from the Government’s Covid Winter Grant Scheme.
There are currently more than 4,000 children in Bath and North East Somerset who receive benefit-related free school meals.
